Category: Current Awareness

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

COVID-19: long-term health effects.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Information and guidance on persistent health problems reported following acute COVID-19 disease. There is accumulating evidence to suggest that cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) who have experienced both mild and severe symptoms can experience long-term health effects. This document provides information on the health problems reported in COVID-19 cases following acute disease, and guidance for healthcare professionals on how to advise recovering COVID-19 patients.)

COVID-19 in schools: study shows drop in infections Public Health England (PHE); 2021

(Round 4 of the Schools Infection Survey (SIS) shows a significant drop in the number of secondary school pupils and staff testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).)

Women’s Health Strategy: Call for Evidence.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.

(DHSC are seeking your views to help inform the development of the government’s Women’s Health Strategy. The easiest way to participate in the call for evidence as an individual is by completing the public survey. They also welcome written submissions from individuals or organisations who have expertise in women’s health, such as researchers and third-sector organisations. Written submissions can include the contribution of data, research and other reports of relevance to women’s health.)

Teachers’ concerns about pupils’ mental health in a cross-sectional survey of a population sample of British schoolchildren.[Abstract]
Mathews F. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 2021;26(2):99-105.

(Understanding how well a teacher concern predicts mental disorder in a child or young person is important for mental health teams who need to respond to referrals. CONCLUSION: While teacher concern does identify those with poorer mental health, it is only moderately predictive of a disorder. When concerned about a child or young person, discussions with parents or others who know them may help teachers identify those who most need support.)

The relationship between alcohol-related hospital admission and specialist alcohol treatment provision across local authorities in England since passage of the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
British Journal of Psychiatry 2021;:https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2020.120.


(The results suggest that the local authority areas in England most in need of adequately funded specialist alcohol treatment are not receiving targeted increased funding, and that the national rise in alcohol-related hospital admissions may be fuelled by local authority funding cuts to specialist alcohol treatment.)

Please contact: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk for any support accessing articles.

Resource of the month

KnowledgeShare

KnowledgeShare allows you to create a bespoke service, specifically designed around you and your professional needs/interests. By signing up, you will receive updates directly to your inbox (on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis) to keep you up to date with current awareness and research in your identified field of work.

To sign up simply download and complete the following form and send it back to academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk

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Please feel free to download our resource of the month poster and share with your team or within your department:

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Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

One dose of COVID-19 vaccine can cut household transmission by up to half Public Health England (PHE)

(A new study by Public Health England (PHE) has shown that one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine reduces household transmission by up to half.)

Track and trace: identifying corruption risks in UK public procurement for the Covid-19 pandemic

(This study of procurement during the pandemic involved a painstaking review of nearly 1,000 contracts worth a total of £18 billion. It concludes that the way the UK government handled bids for supplying personal protective equipment (PPE) and other Covid-19 response contracts appears partisan and systemically biased in favour of those with political access.)

Can SMS text messages help prevent relapse in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder?
The Mental Elf; 2021.

(A group of UCL Mental Health MSc students summarise a recent pilot study, which explores the acceptability and feasibility of the Texting for Relapse Prevention (T4RP) programme for people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.)

Can we teach schools how to improve care for young people who self-harm?
The Mental Elf; 2021.

(Douglas Badenoch appraises and summarises a recent systematic review of experimental studies, which looks at whether school staff training can improve responses to pupils who self-harm.)

JCVI issues new advice on COVID-19 vaccination for pregnant women Public Health England (PHE)

(The JCVI has advised that pregnant women should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as the rest of the population, based on their age and clinical risk group.)

Neonatal infection: antibiotics for prevention and treatment.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.

[This guideline covers preventing bacterial infection in healthy babies of up to and including 28 days corrected gestational age, treating pregnant women whose unborn baby is at risk of infection, and caring for babies of up to and including 28 days corrected gestational age with a suspected or confirmed bacterial infection. It aims to reduce delays in recognising and treating infection and prevent unnecessary use of antibiotics. The guideline does not cover viral infections.]

Library Bulletin

Physical Health and Mental Illness

The current bulletin for physical and mental illness, produced by Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust, is now available to view and download.

Physical-health-and-mental-illness-bulletin-April-2021Download

For any support accessing any of the articles within the bulletin please contact: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Reduced drinking and harm reduction in the treatment of alcohol use disorders.
Bischof. Drugs and Alcohol Today 2020;21(1):31-44.
(The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the scientific evidence for reduced drinking in alcohol use disorders.)

Inequalities in oral health in England.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(The report describes the current picture of oral health inequalities and oral health service inequalities in England by socioeconomic position, geographic area, protected characteristics and vulnerable (disadvantaged) groups. Information in the report may be used to inform the equality impact assessment of proposed public health interventions and to inform the commissioning of services.)

Alcohol and drugs evidence reviews and inquiries.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Reports and reviews relating to substance misuse. Policy makers, commissioners and service providers can use the evidence presented in these reviews and reports when deciding how best to implement policies and interventions relating to drugs and alcohol.)

Case study synthesis: community hubs and green space.
What Works Centre for Wellbeing; 2021.

(This review of practice-based case studies plugs some gaps in the evidence on how community hubs and green spaces can enhance wellbeing in a place. The case study evidence provides important and rich detail on these projects and activities, and how they are delivered, which will provide policy-makers and practitioners with tangible illustrations to refer to in the design and modification of interventions.)

Composition of foods integrated dataset (CoFID).
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(McCance and Widdowson’s ‘composition of foods integrated dataset’ on the nutrient content of the UK food supply. Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for maintaining up-to-date data on the nutrient content of the UK food supply in order to support the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, and funds nutrient analysis of foods commonly consumed in the UK.)

Preventing and reducing drug-related harm.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Information and resources to support commissioners, service providers and others to reduce harm and prevent deaths related to substance misuse.)

Reducing harm due to alcohol: success stories from 3 countries.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2021.

(The WHO-recommended “best buys” for alcohol policy can easily help countries to reduce health harms related to alcohol consumption. Experience from Lithuania, Scotland and the Russian Federation shows how effective they can be when countries choose to implement them.)

Changing the perfect picture: an inquiry into body image.
House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee; 2021.

(This inquiry sought to determine which groups were most at risk of developing poor body image, the factors driving its increased prevalence, and the impact of poor body image on the lives of those affected by it. It considers the impact body dissatisfaction can have on physical and mental health and its relationship with advertising in traditional and social media. It also considers the role the government should play through health, education or digital policy interventions.)